Malta promotes medical tourism provision

27-Jul-2007

Malta is planning to boost its medical tourism provision with a £20 million injection of finance being made available to help attract visitors to the country.

A television campaign will initially focus on cosmetic surgery, alerting British consumers to the fact that they can undergo cosmetic surgery procedures in Malta for a fraction of the cost they would pay back home.

Gary Miller, a spokesman for Sahara Medical Tourism, told the Malta Independent that the local health facilities are "wonderful", enabling them to propel Malta to the top of international medical tourism destinations.

"We will eventually promote other types of surgery and treatment, not simply cosmetic surgery," Mr Miller revealed.

"If a British national needs a hip replacement, and this can only be offered after nine months or so in the UK, we will offer the possibility of the operation being carried out in Malta after just two to three weeks," he said.

Malta is located just a three hour flight from the UK and, with an excellent medical reputation and English being the second official language, is an ideal destination for those seeking treatment abroad.